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I was rather distracted last night by being in the right place at the right time to enjoy some jolly splendid wines. While I slowly transpose my tasting notes, here are some pictures to illustrate why I was distracted.

All good. Except for the pictures.

djewesbury wrote:All good. Except for the pictures.

Patience padwan. Posting from an iPhone using the FlickR app was proving troublesome so I have reverted to a laptop.

Here are the pictures I promised:

What year was that Las Cases?

And what on earth was this event?

Is that a huge bottle of Palmer in the background? Which vintage? What size is the bottle? Did my invitation get lost in the post?

Another quiet night in chez Alex.

The anonymous one with the luggage label that looks like a burgundy bottle piqued my interest. Rather a wow line-up, no survivors by the looks of it. Bring on the tasting notes.

djewesbury wrote:What year was that Las Cases?

My notes lead me to believe that I drank 1990 Leoville Las Cases last night.

djewesbury wrote:And what on earth was this event?

A group of wine lovers who decided that it would be a bit of fun to get together and drink some fabulous wines.

DRT wrote:Is that a huge bottle of Palmer in the background? Which vintage? What size is the bottle? Did my invitation get lost in the post?

We drank Palmer 1982 (which was actually quite light and watery compared to the power of some of the other wines like the Mouton and the Las Cases). The really big bottle was a double mag but my notes give me absolutely no clues as to what was in it. We were surprised that you didn't accept your invitation but we assumed that meant you were busy washing your hair or something.

Derek, did you turn this down?

LGTrotter wrote:Another quiet night in chez Alex.

The anonymous one with the luggage label that looks like a burgundy bottle piqued my interest. Rather a wow line-up, no survivors by the looks of it. Bring on the tasting notes.

Chez moi? Sadly not.

The Burgundy bottle with the luggage label was an oddity. No-one quite sure what was in it and much discussion took place around it. The label read "Ch. di Arlay No. 8" and it was sealed with a heavy black wax of the type I've seen frequently on UK bottled port from the '50s and '60s. I have no idea what it was.

djewesbury wrote:Derek, did you turn this down?

Only by not replying to the invitation that must have been lost in the post.

There's a 1945 de Vogue Musigny in there (I think), how terrible that it was forced to rub sloping shoulders with a Louis Latour Beaune. But again, wow.

AHB wrote:The Burgundy bottle with the luggage label was an oddity. No-one quite sure what was in it and much discussion took place around it. The label read "Ch. di Arlay No. 8" and it was sealed with a heavy black wax of the type I've seen frequently on UK bottled port from the '50s and '60s. I have no idea what it was.

This? http://www.arlay.com/

I just realised this must have been the auction of exhibits after the Kurwinian trial.

OK. I confess. I am winding you up.

EAB and I went to Berry's on Friday night for their "Venerable Clarets Dinner". While the dinner was splendid and the wines magnificent, the pictures I posted were of the empties that were decorating the stair well of the house in which we dined. None of them were emptied by us over dinner.

However, I did drink some great wines on Friday and will post tasting notes in due course. We opened with an aperitif of Berry's Own Label Grower's Reserve Rose Champagne (not to either my taste or EAB's, both of us thought it rather lightweight, overly sweet and flavourless but we were clearly wrong as our host was extolling the virtues of rose Champagne and this one in particular). Dinner was duck terrine with smoked duck and beetroot salad accompanied by Calon-Segur 1996, a fish course of roasted monkfish on a bed of morels accompanied by Pichon-Baron 1990 and Leoville Las Cases 1990, sirloin of beef with bone-marrow washed down by Gruaud Larose 1985, Mouton 1983 and Palmer 1982 before we finished off with a selection of cheeses and a glass of Berry's William Pickering 20 year old tawny (from Quinta do Noval).

It was a terrific dinner with some fabulous wines that I will be unlikely to buy or to have in my own cellar as I can't justify paying £250 for a bottle of Mouton 1983 - but it is really nice to be able to try these wines from time to time.

AHB wrote:OK. I confess. I am winding you up.

EAB and I went to Berry's on Friday night for their "Venerable Clarets Dinner".

Damn. I knew you were going and fell for your little rouse anyway.

AHB wrote:OK. I confess. I am winding you up.

You have stolen my dreams.